Hundreds have been mistakenly arrested and locked up in LA County jails

AP

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Hundreds of people have been mistakenly arrested and locked up in Los Angeles County jails - sometimes for weeks before authorities realized the error, according to an investigation by The Los Angeles Times.

The Los Angeles Times reports there were more than 1,480 wrongful incarcerations in the last five years. In many cases, those wrongly imprisoned had the same names as wanted criminals or had their identities stolen.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says the number of people mistaken for criminals makes up a small percent of the county's 15,000 inmates.